Harry Potter publisher’s sales fly high as reading boom outlasts lockdown
Sales momentum at Bloomsbury Publishing has stayed strong, raising hopes that the sharp increase in reading seen during lockdowns has outlasted pandemic restrictions.
The publisher of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series reported sales growth of 27% in the first quarter of its financial year, measured against an “outstanding performance” a year earlier when Covid-19 led to a boom for books.
Alongside the globally famous tales of the boy wizard, bestsellers also included Bake by Paul Hollywood and the fantasy series Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, one of the most popular authors on TiKTok.
The company also said overall UK consumer book sales reached record levels in the first half of 2022, according to UK Nielsen BookScan, “supporting the view that increased reading is here to stay.”
Bloomsbury was founded by Nigel Newton in the 1980s, with its first premises above a Chinese restaurant in Putney. It now has offices in London, New York, Delhi, Sydney and Oxford.
